Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Closer Look at India

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

With the recent box office success and Oscar winnings of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” there’s a lot of attention on India these days.

The movie focuses on a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is suspected of cheating, however. While being interrogated, events from his life are shown that explain why he knows the answers.

The story of “Slumdog Millionaire” reveals only a small portion of how poverty impacts that country. At least 300 million people in India live below the poverty line, with children accounting for nearly one-third of this group.

Christian Children’s Fund has been working in India for more than five decades, currently assisting more than 600,000 children and family members. CCF’s programs in India include education, early childhood development, sustainable livelihoods and health and nutrition.

In recent years, CCF, with support from the government, launched a Reading Skills Improvement program to enhance the reading abilities of students in rural areas. CCF India has assisted more than 18,000 children from 900 government schools in India through this program.

CCF also had a major role in India’s recovery following the 2004 tsunami. CCF India constructed 12 new schools in Balwadis in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts for the government following the devastation. In some cases the new buildings were constructed on higher ground to avoid being damaged by future disasters.

For more information on our programs in India, click here to visit India’s page on our Web site.